BS: California climate/travel question

Subject: BS: California climate/travel question
From: frogprince
Date: 09 Aug 07 - 12:03 PM

Our niece is getting married in California in Oct. We're flying west Oct. 15, spending five days in San Francisco, then giving ourselves 4 days to work down the coast to L.A. for the wedding.
   It's 40 years since I was in California for a few months in the Navy; I don't remember how many layers I needed when.
   Will we have any use for a pair of shorts, or a bathing suit, that late in the year? (I don't expect water warm enough to go in, but I wish we were scheduled when we could hope for a little decent beach time.                     Dean.

Subject: RE: BS: California climate/travel question
From: Peace
Date: 09 Aug 07 - 12:09 PM

It is beginning to get chilly at that time, fp. Light jacket will see you thru most days, but it can get very cold along the ocean and in the mountains. Take the bathing stuff because you may encounter an indoor pool. Even outdoor for a quick swim and then dry off with a towel. Have a great time.

Subject: RE: BS: California climate/travel question
From: Amos
Date: 09 Aug 07 - 12:23 PM

Your San Francisco time could be nippy, but not frost-cold. LA stays balmy, but you may want a light sweater and/or jacket for evenings, or in case you get the rare colder rainy day. Bring your shorts and swim trunks, too. The water will be ~65-70 F.

Average over history for October in Los Angeles:


Temp:66.8F   Rel Humidity (AM)79% (PM)66% Days above 90F: 2 Rain (inches):0.3 Days per month Clear:13 Days per Month Partly Cloudy: 10 Days per Month Cloudy: 8

Hope this helps.


A

Subject: RE: BS: California climate/travel question
From: Ebbie
Date: 09 Aug 07 - 12:46 PM

Keep in mind that in southern California, 60 degrees is chilly. :) (Hi, Amos!) 60 in southeast Alaska is summertime.

Subject: RE: BS: California climate/travel question
From: Peace
Date: 09 Aug 07 - 12:51 PM

You tell 'em, Ebbie!

Subject: RE: BS: California climate/travel question
From: artbrooks
Date: 09 Aug 07 - 01:01 PM

If you are going to be IN San Francisco (rather than on the Oakland side of the Bay), plan for the occasional wet fog.

And, as you say Ebbie, attitudes toward temperature differ. I remember going down to Log Angeles in mid-October for a conference when I lived in Seattle, and being very disappointed that the motel pool had been drained for the "winter".

Subject: RE: BS: California climate/travel question
From: pdq
Date: 09 Aug 07 - 02:01 PM

Friendly advice: get out of stinky Frisco as soon as possible.

Try driving south on Hwy 1 (not 101). As soon as you get past Pacifica, you should enjoy one of the most beautiful highways in the world. I suggest not stopping much until you get to the Monterey Bay. Check out Carmel, Pacific Grove and Monterey, and the 17 Mile drive. Morro Bay can be fun too.

By the time you get to Santa Barbara (a rather snotty, over-rated place) you should have temps in the low eightys and be able to enjoy the Motel pools or the beach. SF area ocean (water) temps run around 55-57F all year do to the current coming up from the ocean floor. South of Santa Barbara, you should find semi-tropical ocean temps of 70 F or higher.

Subject: RE: BS: California climate/travel question
From: Amos
Date: 09 Aug 07 - 02:10 PM

Average October temp range in LA is from a high of 82 to a low of 57 degrees F.


A

Subject: RE: BS: California climate/travel question
From: Greg B
Date: 09 Aug 07 - 02:36 PM

San Francisco can be bone-chilling cold if the wind is blowing,
especially what you really want to see--- the San Francisco Maritime
National Historical Park.

If the wind is calm, it can also be hot enough to melt the tar off
the decks.

If you're going down the coast, be ready for anything from 60
and windy to 95 and dry.

For your last night before hitting LA, I recommend my old home
town of Ventura. Maybe stay at the Crowne Plaza; it's where "Little
Miss Sunshine" was filmed and is the tallest building in town and
right on the beach. The beaches in Ventura are endless--- eat at
Ericson's on the Pier for the best seafood. Just steps from the
hotel. Get on 101, but get right back off at 'Seaward' and hug
the coast up through Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Pt. Mugu, and through
Malibu and Santa Monica.

Maybe stop in Camarillo, of Los Posas Rd., to visit the Commemorative
Air Force facility there--- largest collection of flyable WW2
war-birds outside of Midland TX. The Hueneme Beach makes for
a nice beach-walk, too. Malibu's nice to drive through, but the
Santa Monica Pier can be fun, and then just a bit north of that
is the famous Venice Beach with all its characters. Now you're
in LA.

It's NOT as warm in Santa Barbara or Ventura as a previous poster
might have you believe. Another case of be ready for 60 and windy
foggy or 85 plus. Polar fleece is sort of the name of the game.

Good overnight stops on the coast for you might be Monterey/Pacific
Grove/Carmel, then maybe Morro Bay, and Ventura. Try not to get
caught in Santa Barbara during rush hour. From just north of
Santa Barbara to Ventura can be a bitch between 3PM and 6PM,
as well as 6AM to 9AM. Try and get through there in the middle
of the day.

You'll be amazed how it's gotten 'built up' in 40 years.

Subject: RE: BS: California climate/travel question
From: frogprince
Date: 09 Aug 07 - 04:58 PM

Thanks, guys. Yes, pdq, we definately intend to go down highway 1 and do the 17 mile drive; I have 6 gigs of camera capacity ready so far. Can't say as I'll be "surprised by the buildup", as I didn't get to run the coast before; I went from San Diego to L.A. by bus once, and from San Diego to San Francisco by Destroyer.

Subject: RE: BS: California climate/travel question
From: Peace
Date: 09 Aug 07 - 05:04 PM

That coast road is beautiful.

Subject: RE: BS: California climate/travel question
From: Ebbie
Date: 09 Aug 07 - 05:23 PM

Remember one thing: California means it when the sign ahead says to slow to 50 mph, for instance. Unlike many other states, California respects the intelligence of its people. When the speed at a certain corner should be 50 mph, it doesn't err on the side of caution.

Another thing I like about driving in California is that, given a chance, drivers are crisp and decisive. I remember one time that when I crossed into Arizona the driving immediately became more difficult. For instance, there was only a center line on a broad street and being in a town strange to me I wasn't sure where I should drive.

Another thing I like in California is that in its towns, there is a sign mid-block to tell you the name of the next crossstreet. I ahven't run into that anywh3ere else and I like it immensely. Especially when you're on a bus.

Subject: RE: BS: California climate/travel question
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Aug 07 - 06:06 PM

You could get a good day at the beach in October in Southern California, and you're also likely to get clear weather in San Francisco and Monterey. Yosemite is dry in October, but October is a nice month to visit the rest of the state.
Have a nice visit, Dean.
-Joe Offer in Colfax, in the Sierra Foothills-

Subject: RE: BS: California climate/travel question
From: pdq
Date: 09 Aug 07 - 07:23 PM

The middle of October may be too early to see the monarch butterfly trees, but not much. You could get lucky and have an early year. There are many areas known to have monarch trees, but this one is easy to find and probably the largest:

                Pismo Beach monarch colony

Subject: RE: BS: California climate/travel question
From: Greg B
Date: 09 Aug 07 - 08:34 PM

There's also a monarch colony in the eucalyptus trees along
Harbor Blvd in Ventura, just across from the Ventura Marina
(if you went down 101 to Seaward like I told you then down
the coast, you'll bump into them in a quarter mile, they'll
be on your left with a farmers field behind 'em).

Subject: RE: BS: California climate/travel question
From: open mike
Date: 09 Aug 07 - 09:01 PM

THE MONARCH BUTTERFLIES ARE ALSO FOUND IN PACIFIC GROVE
near monterey/carmel. htere is a park there where they
come. there is a bench there to commemorate John Denver,
who died in a plane crash off the coast near there.
see: http://www.thebutterflyuniverse.com/
this is also the season where giant fires might be burning.

another place that is fascinating, which i have been hoping to
see for years is the http://www.bonfantegardens.com/circus.html
where there are 19 trees all grafted and sculpted to form shapes
such as baskets, etc. very interesting botanical specimens.